Jacob Heisey says today he feels like he can almost see the finish line.
Heisey and his five friends landed on the shores of Lake Nipissing near the government dock around 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The six camp counsellors who worked in Algonquin Park last summer decided to take part in a 60 day/2000 km canoe expedition to raise funds for Foodbanks Canada
On Friday, was day 50. Heisey says the travelled from French River to the northern shores of Lake Nipissing.
"Friday we were on Lake Nipissing and it was quite a journey in itself," said Heisey.
"We had to paddle through a 10-kilometre crossing just to get here and the waves just in those 10 kilometres were pretty hairy. I am happy to be here and hit day 50 of the trip."
Heisey along with Tim Mulligan, Georges Kirijian, Nolan Aziz, and Cailan Robinson portaged to Trout Lake where they will begin day 51 on Saturday.
He says when the journey first began in Wabakimi Provincial Park, 240 km north of Thunder Bay, North Bay was always considered one of the most important landmarks in the journey as they plan to finish off their 60-day journey when they reach Ottawa.
"When we first started this trip we kind of looked at North Bay as a place where the trip is kind of coming to an end and I can really feel that now that I am here and Ottawa is only 10 days away," said Heisey, a student taking commerce at Dalhousie University.
"North Bay from the beginning was such a big landmark and to be here now is just crazy and seeing everyone come out to support us is just amazing."
Heisey says they have travelled as much as 80 kilometres in one day and he believes the grind is tougher from a mental side than a physical one.
Their fundraising goal was $60,000 but Heisey says they reached that about 40 days into the trip. The group was greeted by family, friends and local dignitaries on the North Bay waterfront.
"It is insane knowing me and my friends can accomplish things that seem so hard to reach but we have reached it and it just feels so amazing," he said.
As of Friday, Heisey says they are at close to $68,000 in fundraising.
To follow their journey go to their website at www.canoe4covid.com.